Universally mounted ceiling cleaner for textile work rooms



E WORK ROOMS J. F. KING, JR

UNIVERSALLY MOUNTED CEILING CLEANER FOR TEXTIL Filed oct. 5, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Y3 fink ATTORNEY James E King Jr BY/P 5 m a m w J. F. KING, JR

Jan. 8, 1963 L INIVERSALLY MOUNTED CEILING CLEANER FOR TEXTILE WORK ROOMS :s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 1960 INVENTOR James F king w W- WLPWM ATTORNEYS;

Jan. 8, 1963 J. F. KING, JR 3,072,321

UNIVERSALLY MOUNTED CEILING CLEANER FOR TEXTILE WORK ROOMS Filed Oct. 5, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 E a f? James F K 5 United States Patent @fidce 3,h72,32l Patented Jan. 8, i963 3,072,321 UNKVERSALLY MQUNTED CEILING CLEANER FGR TEXTHLE WORK RQOMS James F. King, Jr., 1001 S. Marshall St, Winston-Salem, N.C. Filed Oct. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 60,620 8 Claims. (Cl. 230-255) The present invention relates to universally mounted fans and more particularly to an improved construction for use in textile work rooms for blowing oil the ceiling so as to keep it lint-free.

As is well known, lint accumulation in textile work rooms such as on the machinery operating in the room or on the walls and ceiling is to be avoided wherever possible. Various types of air-blast cleaners have been designed for removing the lint as fast as it becomes deposited. Traveling cleaners for blowing off lint from the machinery as well as the walls and ceiling are extensively used and similar cleaners have been designed for sweeping the floor and aisle areas. This invention is concerned with an improved construction for a ceiling mounted stationary type of cleaner, as distinguished from one which travels, which is designed to keep a particular ceiling area free from lint.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a universally mounted fan or cleaner of the type described which rotates as a whole about a vertical axis and wherein the fan itself simultaneously oscillates about a horizontal axis so that the air stream from the fan oscillates through a vertical sweep angle which can extend from horizontal to near-vertical. The construction and operation of the fan, as will be more clearly explained, are such that the entire ceiling area within reach of the air stream will be generally cleaned with a large, diffused volume of air at a distance on each revolution of the fan about its vertical axis, and wherein each and every ceiling point is attacked periodically with a high velocity central cone of air in order to provide a more thorough cleaning of areas which may be particularly troublesome.

Another object is to provide a universally mounted fan of the type described in which means are provided for automatically cutting oil the fan for any predetermined number of degrees of fan assembly rotation. This feature permits one to shadow certain areas of the mill such as walls or room obstructions which would otherwise cause objectionable down-drafts that may interfere with textile manufacturing operations in progress on the mill floor.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a universal type or" fan for cleaning off ceilings of textile mill work rooms, the fan being suspended from the ceiling and being comprised of a motor driven fan and associated casing mounted by horizontal trunnions at the lower end of an inverted U-shaped yoke which, in turn, is mounted for rotation about the vertical suspension axis. Rotation of the yoke about the vertical axis, and oscillation of the fan and casing about the horizontal trunnion axis are elfected by means of single gear motor unit mounted on the yoke and featuring two output shafts, one of such shafts being used to oscillate the fan audits casing and the other being used to rotate the yoke.

The foregoing as well as other objects and advantages inherent in the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate the same. In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the complete universally mounted fan suspended from the ceiling of a work room in a textile mill;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the yoke and fan assembly with certain parts shown in section;

Fl 3 is an end view of the fan casing as seen from the ai outlet end;

Fit 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section of the upper portion of the yoke and gear box;

FIG. 5 is an electrical circuit diagram showing the manner of furnishing power to the fan motor and gear motor unit; and

HG. 6 is a diagrammatic view included for the purpose of graphically illustrating the manner in which the im' proved fan operates.

With reference now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, the entire cleaner mechanism is comprised of a veryhigh-velocity fan 10 driven by an electric motor 11, the fan being enclosed within an air-directing casing 12 which converges in the direction of the air flow and which is provided with a plurality of curved stationary blades 13 which serve to straighten the air flow so that air is directed axially outward in the form of a narrow beam as distinguished from other fan constructions wherein the air stream diverges as soon as it leaves the vicinity of the fan. The fan casing 12 is provided with horizontal trunnions 14 which serve to mount the fan and casing assembly at the lower ends of an inverted U-shaped yoke i5 for reciprocatory motion about the trunnion axis through a predetermined vertical angle by means of a. motor driven crank mechanism which will be later described in more detail.

The U-shaped yoke 15 is mounted on a depending hollow vertical shaft 16 which is fixed to the ceiling 17 of the textile processing room. Preferably, the upper portion of the support shaft is provided with a spherical bearing type of supporting element in a cap is which, in turn, is bolted to the ceiling. This spherical cap allows the support shaft 16 to be connected to sloping ceilings or other structures which are not horizontal and still allow the main body of the cleaner to be suspended in a vertical position. To maintain the support shaft in a vertical position, one or more divergent support braces 19 can be attached as indicated in FIG. 1, the braces being attached at one end to the shaft by means of a two-part clamp Ed and being attached by bolts 2i. to the ceiling at their opposite ends. Integrate into the structure of the upper, horizontal portion of the U-shaped yoke is a cast box 22 which is supported from the lower portion of shaft to by means of a combination of radial and thrust bearing structure 23, 24 so that the yoke holding the fan assembly can rotate about the axis of the support shaft. The details of this construction are shown in FIG. 4. Arranged laterally of the cast box 22 is a gear motor unit 25 which cornprises an electric motor and a gear train mechanism terminating in two opposite extending output shafts 2a and The motor speed and gear train transmission is such that the horizontal output shafts 2a and 2.? make one revolution in each 71 seconds. A small spur gear 28 is connected to shaft 26 within the cast gear box 22 and this gear is meshed with a larger spur gear 29 also in the gear box and which is fixed to a shaft 3d that is mounted in anti-friction bearings 31 for rotation about a horizontal axis. Fixedly mounted on the shaft 30 is a much smaller diameter bevel gear 31 that meshes with a larger diameter stationary bevel gear 32 secured by bolts 33 upon the lower portion of the stationary vertical support shaft 16. Consequently, when the gear motor 25 is being operated, the output shaft 26 working through the spur gear set 282@ and the bevel gear set 3l--3-2 rotates the yoke 15 and fan asembly in a very slow manner about the axis of the support shaft. The gear ratio is so selected that the entire yoke and fan assembly, on a continuous duty basis, makes one complete revolution in approximately 18 minutes.

In order to electrically connect the fan motor 11 and gear drive motor unit 25 to a source of power, it will be seen from F185. 3 and 4 and from the electrical wiring diagram of FIG. 5 that a two-conductor cable connected to a suitable source of electric power enters the spherical cap 18 and extends downwardly through the hollow support shaft 16 where it emerges in the gear box 22. The conductors 35 in the cable are connector 1' ively to a pair of parallel spaced slip rings 37 of electrically conductive material surrounding the shaft and electrically insulated therefrom and whica are carried by a collar of insulating material secured to shaft in by means o set screw 39. One set of brushes which otate vi the yoke assembly engages the slip rings and serves to carry electrical power to the gear motor unit 25. A sceond set of brushes 42 which also rotates with the yoke assembly engages the slip rings and serves to carry electrical power to the fan motor ll.

In certain installations where it may be desirable to shadow certain areas of the mill, such as walls or room obstructions which Would cause objectionable downdrafts that may disturb the textile processing operation in progress on the mill floor, the power circuit to the fan motor may include a cam operated switch whicl will function to open only the fan motor circuit for any predetermined number of degrees of rotation of the yolte assembly. In the illustrated embodiment, this feature is incorporated into the structure by means of a disc type cam 42 which surrounds the lower portion of shaft 16 within the gear box 22 and is secured about the shaft by the same bolts 33 which hold on the bevel gear 32. The cam operator is constituted by a roller which rides in contact with the periphery of the cam d2, the roller 43 serving to actuate an electric switch 4 the cont ts of which are connected in one side of the circuit leading from the brushes 41 to the fan motor ll. Thus, when the switch contacts are opened, fan motor ll will cut oil, but the yoke assembly continues to rotate about the axis of shaft 16 so long as the slip rings as, 37 are electrified. The position or positions at which the fan motor 11 may be cut oil, and the period of the cut off will be determined by the particular contour of the cam periphery which is required for the particular conditions encountered in the mill room.

As seen in FIG. 2 th other output shaft 27 from the gear motor unit serves to rotate a crank arm 45 iounted thereon and which is articulated to one end of a connecting rod 46. The other end of rod 46 is articulated to the fan casing 12 at a point 47 on the latter laterally of the trunnion axis so that as the crank arm 45 is rotated, the fan casing 12 and fan will be caused to oscillate, for example, between a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 2 to a near vertical position, e.g. 10 from vertical. If desired, the oscillating angle of the fan casing can be made adjustable by providing the crank arm with a row of spaced holes 48 for attaching the pitman rod 46, thus providing for a corresponding adjustment in the effective length of the crank arm 45.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 the casing 12 for the fan It has a converging tapered configuration in the direction of air flow which establishes a vena contractor 4-) well beyond the fan location, and the interior of this casing is also preferably provided with the plurality of equally spaced lint-free straightener vanes 13 as previously described to eliminate the swirl from the air stream imparted by the fan. The combination of the vena contractor and straightener vanes serve to confine the air stream to a small-diameter beam at a relatively great distance from the cleaner and thus enhance its directional characteristic. In the present embodiment, there are four of these straightener vanes 13 arranged 90 apart about the axis of the fan casing. These vanes have a radially extending planar blade portion 13a for the distance a in FIG. 2 which then merges into an arcuate portion 13b of progressively decreasing width, the rear end of each blade reaching zero width at point [1 and the total blade curvature corresponding to an angle of about 30 about the axis of the fan casing as indicated in FIG. 3. The convergent casing 12 thus serves to reduce the air pressure and increase its velocity which holds the air stream together longer in a directed beam, and the straightener vanes '13 serve to turn the air in the casing so as to flow along the axis of the casing.

While the cleaning machine can be operated on a continuous basis, a timer can be incorporated in the control so that the mechanism will run in a periodic ma her. For example, a duty cycle can be established three the timer So which will permit the mechanism to run for only 3 /2 minutes out of every half-hour of mill room operation. This has been found satisfactory to provide good ceiling cleaning in a high-lint condition.

The overall gear ratio, which is the combination of the spur gear set EL -29 and the bevel gear set 31-452, is 15.25 to 1. It is thus a mixed number rather than a whole number. The gear motor loaded speed is approximately one revolution in 71 seconds. That is, the two oppositely extending shafts 26, 27 make one revolution each 71 seconds and the fan yoke rotation for continuous duty is one revolution in approximately 18 minutes. With reference to FIG. 6, it Will be seen that the air beam reciprocates vertically through approximately from a horizontal position, and the curve shows the movement and location of the centerline of the air blast for a full 360 of machine rotation in azimuth. It will be noted from this curve that the first pass, which is the first revolution, originates at 0 and ends at 360. However, the vertical movement of the air beam starts at 0 rotation in the horizontal plane and ends at 360 of rotation at a vertical distance from the horizontal of approximately /3 of its total vertical stroke. This is attributable to the fact that the gear ratio is a mixed number, i.e. 15.25 to 1 which means that the cleaner will describe a mixed number (15 /4) of vertical cycles or excursions for each 360 revolution of the yoke. Since the air beam ended the first pass or the first revolution with the fan part way up on its vertical stroke, the second revolution is actually started with the fan in this position and at the end of 360 additional degrees, the fan will end up at the top of its vertical stroke. In other words, because of the gear ratio, the vertical movement of the air blast varies A of a horizontal cycle or 5.902 per revolution. Therefore, the paths on the revolutions of the progression 1, d, 9, 13, etc., will fall exactly on the same path. Thus, the cleaner will make a repeat cycle and cover the same area one revolution out of four. This permits one to generally clean the area of the ceiling within the influence of the fan with a large, diffused volume of air at a distance on each revolution, but on each fourth revolution to attack the same point at a distance with the high-velocity central cone of air for more thorough cleaning of areas which may be troublesome. This arrangement therefore serves to shorten the cycle time and allows more satisfactory cleaning with less actual operating time on the cleaner.

In conclusion, While I have herein described and illustrated one embodiment of a universal fan embodying my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction and arrangernent of component parts without, however, departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a fan device having a universal movement, the combination comprising a U-shaped yoke, means mounting said yoke for rotation about a vertical axis, a motor driven fan and air director casing assembly mounted in said yoke on horizontal trunnions for producing an air beam normal to the trunnion axis, and common drive means operatively connected with said yoke and with said assembly for rotating said yoke about said vertical axis and simultaneously oscillating said fan and easing assembly about said trunnion axis, the number of excursions of said fan and easing assembly for one complete revolution of said yoke being a mixed number.

2. In a fan device having a universal movement, the combination comprising a U-shaped yoke, means mounting said yoke for rotation about a vertical axis, a motor driven fan and air director casing assembly mounted in said yoke on horizontal trunnions for producing an air beam normal to the trunnion axis, a gear motor unit supported by said yoke, said gear motor unit having first and second rotary output shafts, a first power train means interconnecting said first output shaft with said yoke for converting rotation of said first output shaft into rotary motion of said yoke about said vertical axis, and a second power train means interconnecting said second output shaft with said fan and casing assembly for converting rotation of said second output shaft into an oscillatory movement of said fan and casing assembly about the trunnion axis, the number of excursions of said fan and casing assembly for one complete revolution of said yoke being a mixed number.

3. In a fan device having a universal movement, the combination comprising a U-shaped yoke, means mounting said yoke for rotation about a vertical axis, a motor driven fan and air director casing assembly mounted in said yoke on horizontal trunnions for producing an air beam normal to the trunnion axis, a gear motor unit supported by said yoke, said gear motor unit having a pair of output shafts, means including a gear train driven by one of said output shafts for rotating said yoke about its vertical axis, and means including a crank rotated by said other output shaft and a connecting rod articulated to said crank and to said fan and easing assembly for oscillating the latter about said trunnion axis, the number of excursions of said fan and easing assembly for one complete revolutoin of said yoke being a mixed number.

4. In a fan device having a universal movement for cleaning off the ceiling of a textile work room, the combination comprising a U-shaped yoke, a vertical shaft depending from the ceiling for suspending said U-shaped yoke in an inverted position for rotation about the shaft axis, a motor driven fan and air director casing assembly mounted in said yoke on horizontal trunnions for producing an air beam normal to the trunnion axis, and common drive means operatively connected with said yoke and with said assembly for rotating said yoke about said shaft axis and simultaneously oscillating said fan and easing assembly about said trunnion axis in the upper hemisphere, the number of excursions of said fan and easing assembly for one complete revolution of said yoke being a mixed number.

5. In a fan device having a universal movement for cleaning off the ceiling of a textile room, the combination comprising a U-shaped yoke, a vertical shaft depending from the ceiling for suspending said U-shaped yoke in an inverted position for rotation about the shaft axis, a motor driven fan and air director casing assembly mounted in said yoke on horizontal trunnions for producing an air beam normal to the trunnion axis, a gear motor unit supported by said yoke, said gear motor unit having first and second rotary output shafts, a first power train means interconnecting said first output shaft with said yoke for converting rotation of said first output shaft into rotary motion of said yoke about said vertical axis, and a second power train means interconnecting said second output shaft with said fan and casin assembly for converting rotation of said second output shaft into an oscillatory movement of said fan and casing assembly about the trunnion axis in the upper hemisphere, the number of excursions of said fan and easing assembly for one complete revolution of said yoke being a mixed number.

6. In a fan device having a universal movement for cleaning off the ceiling of a textile room, the c0mbination comprising a U-shaped yoke, a vertical shaft depend ing from the ceiling for suspending said U-shaped yoke in an inverted position for rotation about the shaft axis, a motor driven fan and air director casing assembly mounted in said yoke on horizontal trunnions for producing an air beam normal to the trunnion axis, a gear motor unit supported by said yoke, said gear motor unit having a pair of output shafts, means including a gear train driven by one of said output shafts for rotating said yoke about its vertical axis, and means including a crank rotated by said other output shaft and a connecting rod articulated to said crank and to said fan and easing assembly for oscillating the latter about the trunnion axis in the upper hemisphere, the number of excursions of said fan and casing assembly for one complete revolution of said yoke being a mixed number.

7. In a fan device having a universal movement for cleaning off the ceiling of a textile room, the combination comprising a U-shaped yoke, a hollow vertical shaft depending from the ceiling for suspending said U-shaped yoke in an inverted position for rotation about the shaft axis, a motor driven fan and air director casing assembly mounted in said yoke on horizontal trunnions for producing an air beam normal to the trunnion axis, a gear motor unit supported by said yoke, said gear motor having a pair of output shafts, means including a gear train driven by one of said output shafts for rotating said yoke about its vertical axis, means including a crank rotated by the other output shaft and a connecting rod articulated to said crank and to said fan and casing assembly for oscillating the latter about the trunnion axis in the upper hemisphere, the number of excursions of said fan and easing assembly for one complete revo ution of said yoke being a mixed number, a pair of slip rings mounted on the lower part of said shaft and brush means rotatable with said yoke and contacting said slip rings for supplying electrical power to said fan motor and to said gear motor unit from a cable extending downwa dly through said shaft and which is connected to said slip rings.

8. A fan device as defined in claim 7 and which further includes a cam mounted on said support shaft, a cam follower rotatable with said yoke and electrical switch means actuated by said cam follower, said switch means being connected in the circuit leading to said fan motor but not to said gear motor unit so as to cut off said fan motor for a predetermined portion of the rotation of said yoke.

References @ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,246,967 McEwen Nov. 20, 1917 1,480,721 Glasser Jan. 15, 1924 1,939,481 Albers Dec. 12, 1933 

1. IN A FAN DEVICE HAVING A UNIVERSAL MOVEMENT, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A U-SHAPED YOKE, MEANS MOUNTING SAID YOKE FOR ROTATION ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, A MOTOR DRIVEN FAN AND AIR DIRECTOR CASING ASSEMBLY MOUNTED IN SAID YOKE ON HORIZONTAL TRUNNIONS FOR PRODUCING AN AIR BEAM NORMAL TO THE TRUNNION AXIS, AND COMMON DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID YOKE AND WITH SAID ASSEMBLY FOR ROTATING SAID YOKE ABOUT SAID VERTICAL AXIS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY OSCILLATING SAID FAN AND CASING ASSEMBLY ABOUT SAID TRUNNION AXIS, THE NUMBER OF EXCURSIONS OF SAID FAN AND CASING ASSEMBLY FOR ONE COMPLETE REVOLUTION OF SAID YOKE BEING A MIXED NUMBER. 